An Australian woman living in the UK has described how she befriended a lonely 91-year-old woman during a chance encounter at a bus stop.

In a post to Facebook on the weekend, Cornwall resident Gemma Louise Donhou – originally from Perth – described how she met Edna while waiting for her bus after work.

“We started talking and she told me how she was just going into town for something to do because she was lonely in the house by herself, after her husband of 55 years had passed away,” Ms Donhou wrote.

“It broke my heart thinking of this cute little old lady all alone with no one to talk to, so I asked for her number so I could come visit her for a cup of tea.”

The post was accompanied by a photograph of Ms Donhou and Edna, in what Ms Donhou claimed was Edna’s “first selfie”.